Fluid-clutch.



W. W. HENDERSON,

FLUID CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED O0T.12, 1s1o.

1,@32,23., Patented July 9, 1912.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 1 nk/mamas W. W. HENDERSON.

FLUID CLUTCH,

APPLICATION 2 LED OCT. 12, 1910 Patented July 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHE-ET 2.

INVENTOR Alfonse incense.

WILLIAM w. nnnnnnson, orwa'snnve'roiv, ins-rarer or COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR r0 Futon.

nynnnomc (moron muvn co, or wnsnmerou, msrmor or COLUMBIA, A coa- PORA'IION OF DELAWARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FLUID-CLUTCH.

. Patented ai man-912.

Application filed October 12, 1910. Serial No. 586,773.

To (ZZZ wit-omit may concern Beit known that I, WILLIAM -VV. HENDER- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid-Clutches, of which the fola shaft. As embodied the invention comprises an improvement on the hydraulic clutch shown in my U. S. Patent No. 87 9,045.-

The hydraulic clutch embodied in the present device permits the driven shaft to be operated. at any desired speed.

In the accompanying draw1ngs- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the clutch and gearing. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-,2 of Fig. 1, the clutch however being shown in closed position, instead of open as in Fig. 1. n Fig. 3 is a section on the line, 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 1. v

Referring specifically to the drawings, 6 indicates the back plate of the clutch casing and 7 the front plate, and 8 the rim between the same. This riin may be made solid, or it may be cored out as indicated at 9. The engine or driving shaft 10 is bolted to the back of the plate 6, and thus the clutch casing is driven with said shaft. The driven its reduced inner end finds a bearing in a bolts 13 circular neck (3 at the back of a ring gear to be more fully hereinafter described. Fitting within the casing and against-the back plate 6 is a late 16 which joins an annular wall 13 which forms the inner wall of the annular fluid chamber 17, the outer wall of which is formed by the rim 8. At its front end the wall 13 joins a front plate 13. Said parts 16, 13, and 13 form the innerolutch member or drum, and the wall 13 may be made hollow as indicated at 13", to save weight, all .of said parts being united by j The plate 16 hasa neck 16 sleeved on the neck 6*, and is carried on ball bearings 16 between said-neck'and the back plate 6. The front plate 13 has a neck 13 which. is carried on ball bearings 13 be tween said neck andthe front plate The parts 6? and 16 are keyed together as indicated at 16, and the inner clutch member or drum is thus free to rotate in the outer clutch casing. v.

The inner drum carries rolling pistons 20,"which roll in the chamber 17 in a manner similar to that described in my said patents. They turn partly in recesses at 19 in the block 13 and arerotated by the same means described in my Patent No. 956,089( That is, there is a gear 50 on one trunnion of each piston, driven by a spur gear 51 through an intermediate idler 50?, said gears being set in suitable recesses in the back plate. The annularspur gear 51 is keyed t0 the back plate 6 of the casing by a key 51". When the valves 32 are open the gears 50 and 5O cause the pistons -20 to roll driven parts.- By closing the valves more or less the passage of the fluid will be ob structed to a greater or less extent, and consequently the motion will be transmitted at corresponding speed. In Fig. 2 the valves are shown closed and the fluid is thus trapped between the pistons 20 and the valves 32, to transmit the power. a The i is tons turn in order to pass the valves w en they are partly closed.

Instead of the valved Icy-passes shown in my former patents I provide turning valves 32 arranged to project into and divide the chamber 17, said valves being set to work in segmental recesses 31 inthe rim 8, and

they may be turned to permit more or less free passa e. Three valves and two pistons are provi ed so that one piston is always active. The rolling pistons are recessed to pass the valves in any position of the latter,

at 20, being a cycloidal curve described by the movement of'a revolving and rotating point at the circumference of the valve.

Each valve is. turned to'open or close the same more or less, by means of a stem 33 arranged to turn. in a gland at 34 in the the inner surfaces of the recesses, indicated 45 I the same speed as the outer clutch member front plate 7 At its inner end this stem v has a pinion 35 whichmesheswith an idler 36 whichuin turn meshes with a gear 37 on the trunnion 38 of the valve, said gears being located in a suitableirecess'in the front plate-7. A The outer end of theistem 33 is flattened on opposite sides and twisted to. form, in effect, a screw of very high pitch, and the stem projects parallel to the axis of the shaft 11, the flattened part being held between rollers 39 set in recesses 40 in a ring 41, with balls 42 in the corners'of the recesses, behind the rollers, to decrease friction. The ring'41 is mounted on a collar 42 on an outer sleeve 43, with ball bearings 44 between the ri'ng and the collar, said collar also forming one member of a positive clutch 'to be hereinafter described. The collar 42 may be shifted lengthwise on the sleeve 43 by any appropriate means, such as a yoke lever 44 connected to a ring 45 supported on the collar on ball bearings 46, the collar being non-rotatable on'the-sleeve by means. .of a key 47, which however permits the collar to be slid, lengthwise on the sleeve toward and from the casing."

When the collar is shifted, the ring. 41 is also shifted, and the engagement of the rollers 39 against the flattened sides of the twisted stem 33 causessaid stem (and each of them) to turn on its own axis, which by means of the connecting gears turns the valve 32. When-the valves are fully open the liquid confined in the chamber 17 will be driven by the pistons 20 freely around in said chamber, and consequently no motion will be transmitted between the outer and the inner clutch members. But when the valves are closed more or less, such flow will be obstructed, and the resulting pressure will drive the inner member of the clutch to a corresponding extent, and when the valves are fully closed the liquid will be trapped and consequently the inner clutch member and driven shaft 11 will turn at' and driving shaft 10, the motion being com-I municated through the plate 16, key 16 to neck 6. This neck, as above referred to, projectsfrom a box gear 50 having external teeth 51 and internal teeth 52, These latter teeth mesh with a gear 53 integral with the shaft 11 and located at the inner end thereof, and when the teeth 52 and 53 are in mesh the motion of the piece 50? will be communicated to the shaft, direct-1y. Th-isproduces a direct drive from the driven clutch: member to the driven shaft.

For the reverse drive, the following means are provided: Mounted .upon the inner end of the shaft 11 is a planetary gearbox or casing 60, which incloses a compound gear box 61 having internal teeth 62 which mesh with the teeth of pinions 63 carried by said box, which pinions mesh also with the. external teeth 51 on the box 'gear 50. The box gear 61 also has internal. teeth'64 in a neck formed thereon, which are at all times in mesh with the teeth of the pinion 53. The box gear 61 has an annular. groove 65 in which fits 33.11 annular lip 66 projecting from the box gear 50, which forms a bearing for the box gear 61 and retains the same in proper location and position, although even without said bearing it would run around onthe pinions 63. Thejteeth'of the pinion 53 are widerthan those of the gear 52, but are of no greater; width than the teeth ofthe gear 64'. The shaft 11 is slidable lengthwise to change the drive from the direct to the reverse. When shifted inwardly to full extent asshown in Fig. 1 the pinion 53 engages the gear 52 for the direct drive as above explained. When shifted forwardly, the pinion 53 is withdrawn from engagement with the gear 52 and engages the gear 64 -only.' Therefore onthe reverse drive the motion is communicated from the plate 16 to the piece 50 and through the gears 51, pinions 63, gear 62 and gear 64 to the pinlon 53, the direction of rotation being reversed in consequence of the intermediate or planetary gearing. The constant engagement of the pinion 53 and'ge'ar 64, as above-stated,- is for the purpose of holding the pinion in 'line with the gear 64, so that the pinion may be shifted easily from the gear 52 tothe gear 64; and in the direct drive such engagement is immaterial, since the box gear 61 and the parts carried thereby will simply rotate idly around with the shaft. During the reverse drive itis necessary that the casing 60 be held against rotation, and for this purpose it is providedwitha sleeve 60? which fits over the shaft 11, and this sleeve 1 has a brake wheel 60 which may be engaged by a brake band 60 controlled by a suitable lever or other device. The inner clutch member is also provided with'a sleeve 43 fitting over the sleeve 60 this sleeve 43 being fastened to the front plate 13 by any suitable means, such for example as projecdriven 'cl utch member. Thesleeve supports the collar 42 above mentioned and also provides means for the operation of a main may consist of a wheel 7 0 on the sleeve and a band 7O operatedby any suitable lever or device. When the brake is applied the motion in either direction is retarded to a corresponding extent, and the brake alsoserves .tions'70, so that this'sleeve turns with the brake used to brake'the motion. 7 This brake front plate 7 of the clutch casing by a clamping ring 81 bolted to said casing, and said clutch ring has projections 82 between which may be engaged corresponding projections 83 on the collar 42, when said collar is shifted in to full extent. Inasmuch as the valves 32 are closed by shifting in the collar 42 said collar positively clutches with' the member 80 when the valves are fully closed, thus taking the strain from the liquid clutch, the power being trans- -mitted directly from the clutch casing to the collar, key 47 and sleeve 43.

Changes in speed are provided for by manipulation of the valves 32, and direction of rotation -is controlled by shifting the shaft 11 in or out, as above described.

The invention is not limited'to the partieular form described and shown, butvarious modifications may be made within the scope thereof.

.It will be noted that the gears 52, 53 and 64 have the same function as interlocking clutch members, being made in the form of toothed gears for convenience of manufacture, and may be substituted by various forms of interlocking devices arranged for change from the direct to the reverse drive by shifting the shaft lengthwise.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Ilet-ters Patent is -1.; In a' fluid clutch, the combination of a driving member, and a drivenniember, with an annular fluid chamber between said mem;

* here, a valve carried by one member and valve operating in said chamber and adjustable to control the flow of. liquid in said chamher, and a rolling 'piston carried by the other member and arranged to roll around in said chamber, said piston be ng provided with means tocause ittolpass said 2. In a fluidclutch, the combinationof a driving'mem-ber and a driven member, withanannular fluid chamber between the same,.

a valve mounted in a recess in one ofsaid members and movable into said. chamber to control the flow of, liquid therein, and a piston carried by the other member-and rolling in saidychamber in contact'with the said members, to' foroe the fluid around in said chamber, said piston having a recess through which the valve will passto enable the piston to clear the '-valv 7 r 3. In a fluid clutch, the-combination of nular, fluid chamber therebetween, a rotary valve mounted on one member and adapted to be turned to position across said recess to contr01 the flow of fluid therein,

a rolling piston in said chamber, said piston being carried by the other member and having a recess therein with anarcu-ate surface to pass the valve in contact therewith,

and means actuated by relative .movement of said members torotate the piston.

'5. In a fluid clutch, the combination of 2 driving and, driven members with'a fluid chamber therebetween and means carried by one ofsaid members to forcea flow of fluid .insaid chamber, a turning valve controlling said flow, a shaft connected to one of said members, and'means to operate the valve comprising a stem'carried byone of said members and extending parallel to the shaft, said stem having a screw surface of high pitch, a shiftablering extending around .90 I

the shaft and having a recess, rollersj at opposite sides of said recess, and bearing against said surface to turn the stem when the-ring is shifted axially, and means to shift said ring.

- 6. In a fluid-clutch, the combination with a casing and a rotarypiston having a workin'g. chamber therebetween, of a valvecarried by one of said members and arranged to block and unblock said chamberya rotary abutment carried by the other of said members and normally blocking said working chamber, and provided with a peripheral pocket to permit the passage of said valve; and means for operat ng said valve.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. HENDERSON.

' Witnesses;

* MARY L. Tnw,

. Geo. E. TEW. 

